Storage battery



Ratented May 16, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STORAGE BATTERYApplication February z5, 1337, serial N0. 127,691

3 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to the construction of the cellcovers, posts and connections between the posts and covers of -storagebatteries.

Storage batteries are commonly provided with a b plurality of cells eachhaving a cover which is perforated to allow a pair of the posts toproject for the connections'wi-th other cells and for attachment of theexternal cables or circuit wires. It is important that the vpostsconstituting the terminals for attachment of the external cables besecurely and rigidly supported on the cell covers to prevent suchuterminals from being broken loose Afrom the 'plates within the cellunder the forces exerted in attaching and de taching the cables and byother shocks incident to the handling and use of the batteries. However,where both of :the posts which penetrate a celll cover. are rigidlyjoined to the cover diiculties are encountered. The covers are sometimesV broken because the active materials on the plates of opposite polarityare of such nature as to cause limited relative movement when in use.One common cause of such movement is the growing or building on of theactive material on the positive plates at their edges. This results ingradual movement of this group upward while the group of negative platesin the same cell remains stationary. `As the posts are rigidly joined tothe plates, it is distinctly advantageous to allow slight upwardmovement of one of the posts of each cell relative to the other. By .thepresentl invention, I permit this movement at the post which has the'intercell' connector attached to it. and at the Sametime afford thedesirable rigid, 35 strong cover support for the other or terminal postof the saine battery cell.

it is an object of this invention to guard against the breakage ofbattery covers by permitting limited relative movement between the postsat- 40 tached to the plate groups of opposite polarity and at the sametime aiord rigid, strong connections between the terminal post s of a.battery and covers thereof.

Y Other objects are to reduce vthe oost of battery constructionand-simplify the attachment andv sealing of the posts in the cover by anovel combination of resilient and rigid connections'be- .tween the cellcover and posts which penetrate the same cover.

f ,The invention will be best understood by refer- Fig. 1, and, v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentarysection through an (Cl. 13B- 168) alternate formof rigid connection between a terminal post and cover.

In the drawing the numeral 4 indicates a battery container of commontype which is divided by partitions 5 into separate cells eachcontaining 5 a group of positive and a group of negative plates,immersed in a suitable electrolyte. The cell covers are indicated by thenumerals 6, 'I and 8. Each cover is provided with a suitable vent plug 9and formed with vertically extending openings to 10 receive the posts.As shown in Fig. 2, the cover 8 has openings for posts I0 and I I, thelatter being 'one of the main terminal posts for an external circuitconnection or cable. Burned to the upper vend of the post I0 is anintercell connecting bar l5 I2, and the lower end of this post isrigidly joined to bar I3 extending across the top of the plates withinthe cell. One group of plates, for example, the positive plates,'arerigidly connected to the bar I3 and the other group or negative platesare 20 secured in similar manner to a bar I4.

The post II' is rigidly secured to the bar I4 and is preferably formedwith an annular shoulder I5 to engage the bottom surface of the cover 8.A. metal bushing I6, constructed from a suitablelead alloy, is moldedinto the cover 8 around the opening for the post II, fitting snuglyabout said post and being an integral part of the cover. The bushing I6is burned onto the post II, after the cover has been placed on the cell,so that a very strong, rigid connection is ail'orded between the post IIand cover. This connection is also of such nature as to eiectively sealthe joint against the escape of electrolyte from the cell.

The other post which penetrates the cover 8 is preferably formed with aslight taper, having its;V smaller., diameter at its upper end, and fitssnugly into a soft rubber bushing II of substantial thickness andvertical extent along the post. This bushing is confined in a recessformed in the cover and is suiiiciently resilient and compressible topermit slight4 vertical and lateral movement of the post Il relative tothe cover 8.

Both posts which penetrate the cover 'I preferably fit in soft rubberbushings,. such as the bushing I'I shown in-Fig. 2, so that these postsare sealed where they pass through the cover and at the same time areallowed slight movement relative to the cover due to the resiliency andcompressibility of the bushings. Neither of the posts which' penetratethe cover I are terminal posts so that they need not be rigidly.supported on the cover. One of these posts is connected to the bar I2and the other to a similar bar I8 ex- ,z

tending to a post like the post I I but projecting from the cell having'the cover U. The other post which penetrates the cover I is rigidlyjoined to and supported by the cover l as by a lead bushing, such as thebushing II shown in Fig. '2L

I An alternate form of rigid connection between a terminal post andcovers is shown in Fig. 3.\

'Ihe cover is indicated by the numeral,y 2l and the post bythe numeral2|. This post has a threaded portion 22 which is engaged by a nut 23adapted to be turned into place after the cover has been mounted in thecell'. Beneath the cover,- the post is formed witlr an integral, annularshoulder 24 which is fitted with a washer 2l to form an abutment'for thecover 2l and to seal the connection between thepost and bottom surfaceofthe cover.' It will be understood that the other post of the cellhaving the cover 2l is sealed by a soft rubber bushing like the bushingl1 which permits slight relative movement between the post and cover.

In use, and during transportation and handling, the battery is protectedagainst damage from forces applied to the terminal posts, as in z5 theattachment and detachment of the circuit said post and cover.

astnew and -deslre to protect by Letters Paten is:

. 1. In a storage battery cell having pgstsof opposite polarity eachrigidly 'joined to a group of platesmone of said posts being a terminalbinding post, thecombinationof a cover perforated to receive both ofsaid posts, means sealing and rigidly connecting said terminal bindingpost to said cover and means reslliently sealing the other of said postsin said cover, saidiast mentioned means permitting relative movementbetween said post and cover.

2. In a storage battery cell. having posts of opposite polarity eachrigidly joined to, a group of plates, one of said posts being aterminalbinding post, the combination of a cover perforated to receiveboth of said posts, a metallic bushing xed in said cover, burned to saidterminal post and rigidly connecting said terminal post to said coverand means for reslliently sealing the other of said posts in said cover,said last mentioned means permitting relative movement between said postand cover.

3. In a storage battery ,cell having posts of opposite polarity eachrigidly joined to a group of plates, one of said posts being a terminalbinding post, the combination of a cover perforated to receive both ofsaid posts, metallic means rigidly connecting said terminal bindlng postto said cover and relatively soft and compressibie means resllientlysealing the other of said posts in said cover and permitting relativemovement between CARL G. REETZ.

